Yes, you can drive to Alaska. Per Google, it is about 3,400 miles from Chicago to Fairbanks which clocks in at a little over 59 driving hours. Maybe add a few hours to that if you want to take in the scenery. The route is actually pretty straight forward and involves a lengthy drive on the Alaskan Highway. But that is not in fact our intended route. Nope, we plan on first gliding over to Vancouver Island for a rendezvous with our cousins/friends. After a bit of catching up and a little backpacking, we will then hop a car ferry to Prince Rupert before heading to The Last Frontier via the Alaskan Marine Highway system. A poor man’s cruise, we will visit several islands before anchoring in Haines. From Haines we head to the interior then back to the coast at Seward and Homer. Afterwards we visit Denali and then head home via the Alaskan Highway.

If that sounds a bit audacious to you, well then you have a mighty fine vocabulary. Right now though, typing up our plans from the comfort of our home while listening to the Cubs blow it against the Dodgers, it is a bit intimidating. Honestly, it is always a bit intimidating before we set out but the planning is a good distraction. So are the toys I got for my birthday which include a nifty new netbook (yes, they still make them), a monocular and an oversized French press. All three will hopefully be put to good use.

In the last few weeks we have also purchased a cheap Coleman tent (big enough for three to sit in while escaping insects), some good wicking clothes, and a few other do-dads. The car has been looked over as well and now sports a new and quite pricy rear drive shaft. A quick look through of the house uncovered a few not too banged up lenses along with our trusty Nikon D40 that boasts a whopping 6.1 megapixels. We are not quite ready to leave the comfort of our home, but if I listen carefully I can hear the lone howl of a coyote welcoming us back to the road.